I was wondering thoughts on both cameras? I am interested in purchasing one but don't have the budget that some of you guys do. So would I be better off with the Rebel than the S3? I plan on doing basic wakeboarding shots, some action shots, kids pics, and all the other things. I am no professional by any means, and also the wife and friends would be shooting with the camera also. Would I be sorry with the S3, seems like a nice camera for the $$. Thanks for any thoughts.

I'm in the same sort of boat as you. I'm looking at either the Canon S3 IS / Panasonic Lumix FZ7 or going for a 2nd hand Nikon D70. <BR> <BR>Right now though, I'm leaning more towards the FZ7 mainly cause of its price, faster AF speed and burst mode than the S3 and better IS implementation. The noise issue that everyone talks about is overblown I feel from what I've seen of the shots and I have a copy of NeatImage so that helps heaps. <BR> <BR>Only thing I'm not nuts about is the fact that it feels puny in my hands. And I miss the manual zoom+focus of DSLRs. But to get nicely cropped shots from the boat, we're talking at least a 70-200mm lens. The size is daunting in itself already. <BR> <BR>At the end, these ultrazooms just don't come close to DSLRs when we talk about AF &amp; continuous shooting, but they do make up for it in some other cases and can be a decent alternative. Hope this helps.

You're much better off with a used DSLR than any point and shoot. The timing/shutter lag as well as the delay caused by the EVF or LCD screen make them a real pain to shoot any sort of sports. You'll be really sorry you bought the S3IS IMHO. <BR> <BR>In addition, a Canon or Nikon DSLR bought used should hold it's value very long in case you want to sell or upgrade. Later on you can get additional lenses for more creative stuff. <BR> <BR>(Message edited by santa on January 23, 2007)

Ended up getting a Panasonic FZ30 cheap. Preferred it over the FZ50 because of its higher burst mode. <BR> <BR>Anyhow, a shot I took today whilst out. Don't think it does too shabbily for a cheap P&amp;S. Got a bunch more of the wife, but unfortunately she still hasn't gotten the hang of it...so none of me <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/lame.gif" border=0> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/87667/412682.jpg" alt="Upload">